Most Dramatic Sports Moments of the Week

Most Dramatic Sports Moments of the Week

It seems like every week the drama is building in the world of sports, especially as the NBA and NHL playoffs rage on through their respective second rounds.

But the NFL regained a lot of the headlines throughout the week, with the first round of the draft taking place on Thursday night and carrying with it all of the media hype.

Let's look back at the most dramatic moments in sports from the past week.

From AHL to Hero

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On Thursday night, an unlikely hero ended a spectacularly fought defensive battle between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens.

Matt Fraser was an AHL player until just one day before Game 4, and then suddenly he was a Boston hero after scoring on Carey Price in overtime to give the Bruins a 1-0 victory.

Neither team would budge in regulation, with each goalie making a number of amazing saves in key moments to keep their teams alive. But then Fraser took a bouncing puck and found a way to put it in the net only one minute and 19 seconds into sudden death.

Hibbert Helps Even Series

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Roy Hibbert was dreadful in the Indiana Pacers' first-round series, but on Wednesday night, he came alive at exactly the right time.

After a tough Game 1 loss to the Washington Wizards, the Pacers desperately needed to get back on track and even up the series. They went into halftime trailing by two but came out with a vengeance in the third quarter and held onto a small lead throughout the fourth.

Hibbert looked comfortable again and dominated down low. He finished with 28 points (a season high), nine boards and two blocks to lead the Pacers to victory in an intense game.

New York Rangers Take Game 1 in OT

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The second-round series between division rivals Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers got off to a wild start last Friday night.

Game 1 was a back-and-forth battle, as the Rangers owned the first period, scoring twice, but the Penguins rebounded quickly in the second and tied the game.

Despite a number of great chances for both teams, including a two-on-one for Pittsburgh with less than 20 seconds remaining, neither goalie could be beaten in the third frame, so overtime was needed.

After three relatively unexciting but tense minutes, Derick Brassard found himself in front of the net with the puck and wristed one home to silence the Pittsburgh crowd and give the Rangers a series lead.

Clowney Goes First Overall in NFL Draft

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After months and months of speculation, it seems like the Houston Texans pushed all the noise aside and just did the safe (but smart) thing by drafting Jadeveon Clowney with the first overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft.

So many other factors and options had been thrown around. Would the Texans draft a quarterback? If so, which one? Or would they trade down?

Instead, new head coach Bill O'Brien got the player that guarantees to make his football team drastically better from Day 1. Clowney. NFL quarterbacks are weeping across the nation at the thought of facing both Clowney and J.J. Watt on Sundays.

Manziel Slides to No. 22

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Jason DeCrow/Associated Press

Haven't we seen something like this before? The Cleveland Browns, after passing up a quarterback with their first pick in the first round, selected a quarterback at 22nd overall after he slid further than anyone expected.

Hopefully for Cleveland fans, Johnny Manziel turns out to be a better pro than Brady Quinn. But it is nevertheless shocking that Manziel slid as far as he did.

Considered to be one of the top players in the draft after an impressive collegiate career, he was thought to be a possible top-three selection and a lock for the top 10. As each pick passed and his name was not called, the drama built in Radio City Music Hall as everyone ended up waiting 22 times for Manziel to come off the board.

Clippers Finish off Warriors in Game 7

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The Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors had treated us to one of the most exciting, polarizing and exhausting first-round series in a long time.

On Saturday night, the thrilling series came to a close in the most fitting way possible: with a riveting finish. With the craziness from Donald Sterling's comments now a little further in the rearview mirror, the players just tried to focus and turned in a solid performance.

Blake Griffin scored 24 points, and Jamal Crawford and Chris Paul both added 22 of their own to help fend off Stephen Curry and the Warriors. In the closing minutes with the score close, DeAndre Jordan blocked a layup that led to an alley-oop that Griffin put home with authority.

The Clippers went on to retain that tight lead, and Doc Rivers broke loose from his normally composed self to show some rare emotion that was undoubtedly pent up after such a roller-coaster series.

Lillard Wins Series with Buzzer-Beater

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USA TODAY Sports

The Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets played the sixth game in their incredible series on Friday night, and what a legendary contest it turned out to be. The Trail Blazers, playing in front of a raucous home crowd, were looking for their first playoff series win in 14 years.

James Harden and the Rockets kept battling right back, and the two teams were neck and neck literally all game. No team led by more than two points at the end of any quarter, including the final one.

With the score tied and mere seconds left on the clock, a frenzied sequence underneath the net ended up with Chandler Parsons putting one in with 0.9 seconds remaining, seemingly ending the game and forcing a Game 7.

But Damian Lillard had other plans. He got the inbound pass behind the three-point line and chucked up a shot with unbelievable quickness that swished through the net as the buzzer sounded. There's a really awesome Vine of the scene that you can watch here (h/t Deadspin).

LSU Outfielder Saves Game with Catch of the Year

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I don't like treading into the waters of hyperbole, but you will have to search long and hard to find many catches better than the one that this LSU outfielder made on Friday night.

The Tigers were visiting College Station for the first game of their series with Texas A&M, and they went into the bottom of the ninth inning with a commanding 4-0 lead.

But the Aggies stormed back and tied things up. Blake Allemand then hit what looked to be a game-winning drive down the left field line. Jared Foster backtracked and made an outstanding flying catch to keep LSU alive.

The Tigers would go on to use that momentum and rally for a run in the 10th to go up 5-4, which ended up being the final score.

Pierce's Block Wins Series for Brooklyn

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Paul Pierce was not playing very well for the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night. He had exactly zero points (plus three fouls) in the second half of Game 7.

Brooklyn was still hanging in tough against the Toronto Raptors, who staged a fourth-quarter comeback to push the veteran Nets to the brink.

But Joe Johnson was spectacular, scoring 13 points to keep the Nets ahead before Pierce finally put an exclamation point on the series. He stepped up in the lane to block Kyle Lowry's shot in the closing seconds to secure the series-winning victory.

Gaborik's Heroics Win Game 1 for LA

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USA TODAY Sports

In a battle of California hockey between the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, a Slovak stole the show and sent his team home with a huge victory.

It seemed like the Ducks had the victory sealed up after Teemu Selanne put them up 2-1 with just less than 12 minutes remaining in the third. As the clock ticked under 30 seconds, the Ducks still had the lead.

But Marian Gaborik hacked a puck out in front that found its way past Jonas Hiller with just seven seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. Then Gaborik sealed the deal at 12:07 of OT by tipping in a goal and giving the Kings a crucial 1-0 series lead.